Behind the Social Marketing of ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’

This weekend, the film “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” will try to hold on to its No. 1 position at the box office as it battles new titles “The Help,” “30 Minutes or Less” and “Final Destination 5.” The hybrid live action/CGI-thriller grossed $54.8 million its opening weekend, boosted by good reviews and a strong viral campaign designed by creative company Mekanism.

To raise the film’s profile online, Mekanism both targeted a group of 50 social media influencers as well as released a series of short “real ape” videos they hoped would go viral. The former campaign began back in June, when Mekanism reached out to selected YouTube stars and movie-bloggers to help them build buzz — especially among millenial-age males.